TURKISH PRESS REVIEW

MONDAY JULY 29, 1996

Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning

The weekend agreement between the government and political
prisoners, ending a 69-day hunger strike, brought relief to a
Turkish public shaken by the recent deaths of 12 hunger strikers
within a week. The delegation, comprising representatives from
the government, the Republican People's Party (CHP), and some
NGOs as well as some writers, reached an agreement with the
political prisoners that met with their demands.

After negotiations, Yasar Kemal, a prominent writer, said: "The
most important demand was that the inmates in Eskisehir and
Sakarya should be taken to Umraniye prison. We discussed this
with the prime minister too and he gave his consent". Zulfu
Livaneli, a composer and writer, said that he was happy to
announce that the strikes were over. "Our friends inside have
been very understanding, and the government's positive attitude
made it easier to reach a conclusion. I would like to thank
everyone who participated" he said.

Justice Minister Sevket Kazan expressed his content at the ending
of the strikes without the need for a police operation. "I
believed that a final meeting was necessary after my call to the
inmates to stop on May 26. I asked Welfare Party (RP) Istanbul
deputy Mukadder Basegmez and Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Ferzan
Citici to undertake negotiations with the strikers". He said that
he had agreed to transfer around 100 inmates from Eskisehir to
jails in Istanbul, but ruled out shutting down the high-security
prison. Vecdet Oz, deputy undersecretary at the Health Ministry,
said on Sunday that 170 inmates, 20 of whom were in critical
condition, were under treatment in 15 hospitals. Other former
hunger strikers are now receiving treatment in prisons. /Sabah/

Turkish leaders voiced their sorrow over the Atlanta bomb blast
that killed two people and injured more than 100 on Saturday, and
urged all countries to cooperate in the fight against terrorism.
President Suleyman Demirel issued a written statement expressing
his deep grief over the deaths and injuries. He harshly comdemned
the terrorist bomb attack and called on all countries to
cooperate in the struggle against terrorism. Demirel voiced his
special sorrow over the death of a Turkish television (TRT)
cameraman who died after the bomb explosion while he was on his
way to cover the event.

A statement by Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan drew attention to
recent terrorist attacks both in Turkey and abroad, saying that
these terrorist assaults cost many lives. Erbakan also sent a
condolence message to US President Bill Clinton to voice his and
his government's sorrow over the bombing in Atlanta. Deputy Prime
Minister and Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller sent a message to US
Secretary of State Warren Christopher saying that Turkey, like
the US, has been one of the major targets of international
terrorism for many years. /All papers/

Forest fires which sprung up last night around Marmaris and Soke,
are still a threat to the towns themselves. The fire around Soke
engulfed 420 hectares of olive groves and forests but is now
under control. The fire around Marmaris is still not under
control and has spread to neighbouring villages due to strong
winds. The governor of Aydin, Muharrem Goktayoglu, said that
experts were investigating the cause of the fire.

Meanwhile, security forces patrolling in the Zorkun pasture
regions of the Osmaniye district in Adana, were shot at. A
military vehicle turned upside down and during clashes two
security members died and seven were wounded. A forest fire in
the region, supposed to have been started by terrorists has been
brought under control. /Milliyet/

Income from privatizations amounted to $292 million so far this
year, bringing total revenues since 1986 to $3.1 billion, the
Privatization Administration (OIB) said. Turkey had previously
said it aimed to raise $2 billion through privatizations this
year. /All papers/

On Friday night 50 terrorists attacked a military patrol base
near Cukurca, killing an officer and 16 soldiers and wounding 21
others. During the two-hour long skirmish, 11 PKK terrorists were
killed. Arriving in Cukurca, Gendarmerie General Commander
General Teoman Koman was given details about the attack. An
operation was begun to find the terrorists that managed to escape
to Northern Iraq. /Hurriyet-Milliyet/

In case the period of stay of the Provide Comfort multinational
force is extended until December 31, 1996, the Provide Comfort
Military Coordination Center based in Zaho is not expecetd to be
moved to Silopi, but instead the number of Turkish officers in
the center will be increased from four to twelve. This will
increase Turkish control over the center. US military sources
note that the multinational force was bringing Turkey a yearly
revenue of TL 3.6 trillion. In the same connection, US Ambassador
to Turkey Marc Grossman promised that the US was about to send to
Turkey electronic control systems that will increase border
security. /Cumhuriyet/

The Turkish and the Bosnian government have signed a memorandum
of understanding foreseeing that Turkish Airlines (THY) will
undertake ground services and fuel oil sales at Sarajevo Airport.
Twice a week, THY planes will fly to Sarajevo Airport, even
though it is not open yet for international transportation. THY
earnings from this agreement are expected to reach $125 million
yearly. /Sabah/